Long-term Influences
by MissUnashamed
Summary: We never how one small decision can branch out and influence the lives of others for generations. Introducing a new character by the name of Nikki Harrison in the secret Gargoyle world. NOT a "humanOCxGargoyle" piece.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Long-term Influences**

**By MissUnashamed**

Please don't use in any way without permission.

Nikki, her family, Amos the dog, Monique, Carl and sub-plot belong to me (MissUnashamed).

Brooklyn, Hudson, Gargoyles Universe and canon plot belong to Disney/Greg Weisman.

_One piece of paper can lead to a ton of changes._ Nikki thought to herself, rotating the ticket and the envelope between her fingers. She sat on the queen size bed, which would normally be covered with home sewn quilts. Now it served as a perch for the young woman, and was stripped of everything but thin covers and a pillow. Two large suitcases and a carry-on bag sat on the floor in front of her. She sighed, dejected and opened the envelope for the second time. The feeling of dread had gone, now that she knew what lay inside. She pulled out the paper and, despite the pain that the words brought- reread the letter from Montana State University. She had applied five years ago, and had sobbed the whole night when the letter rejecting her application arrived.

She then turned to the other piece of paper, and read every detail with weary hesitation- the plane ticket to New York. It would take her from the ranching town of Jackson, Montana to live in the bustling city of Manhattan. Looking out the window, she looked over the pastures. The noonday sun showered down on the herds of cattle, not a cloud in the sky.

"Beautiful day, huh?" the door creaked open and Nikki turned to see her father walk in. A tall man with grey hair, her father's age was deceptive. The years of ranching stress and occasional financial snag had etched an extra decade into his face.  
"Yeah, yeah it sure is." Nikki stuffed the letter back in the envelope.  
"I thought you planned on burning that." He noted, spotting the letter.  
"I'll get rid of it. I just wanted to remind myself-"  
"Of the past?" He finished. "Honey, if it can't be resolved, let it go and move on."  
"Which is why I'm leaving, Dad." She responded, a slight edge in her tone.  
"I miss when you called me 'Pa'. Just because you're going to live in the city doesn't mean you have to start talking like them." A sad glaze flitted through his chocolate eyes. "You don't have to go at all. "  
"Yes, I do. I can't stay here, Dad. I have the ticket, and since the last cougar got to the herd, we can't afford-"  
"I value my daughter's well-being over cattle." He locked eyes with her, eyes filled with pleading.

She stood up abruptly, leaving the ticket on the bed. "Dad, I'll be fine." She walked briskly over to the door, stuffing the letter in her pocket. "I'm taking the pea shooter and Amos out." Her father didn't hesitate to stop her, and she raced down the stairs. She went to the closet for ammunition. She grabbed a pack of ammo, her Carhartt cap and her concealed carry holster. The 8mm inside was empty, but she never left the house without it. In the garage she grabbed a bottle of root beer from the refrigerator, slipped on the cap and put her equipment on the red Honda Trx300 ATV. Hurrying to escape, she went to the gun storage cabinet, entered the combination and took her old rifle, the "pea shooter", off the rack. As she fastened the gun to the front of the ATV, a canine whine met her ears. The old, deaf Collie was looking up at her, tail wagging. _Don't worry, Amos. I haven't forgotten about you._ She crouched down and stroked the dog, gently lifting him and placing him on the back of the ATV.

She stroked the dog, not bothering to speak, seeing as how he wouldn't be able to hear her. _Dad's not right. Dad's not right. He is about a lot of things, but this isn't one of them. It can't be._ These anxious thoughts flooded through as she started the vehicle. She then hit the button, opening the garage door, hoisted herself onto the ATV and rode down to the pastures.

Despite her gentle speed, Nikki and Amos bounced through the grassy fields. Cows occasionally mooing at them, annoyed. After a twenty-minute ride and unlatching four gates, she brought the quad to a stop. She lifted Amos off of the vehicle and let him wander around the family shooting range. As Amos marked his territory, Nikki went to the board at the end of the range, and extracted the letter from her pocket. Amos had laid down next to the ATV and Nikki returned for her root beer, having just secured her rejection letter to the board. Sitting in the grass next to the beloved old dog, she sipped from the bottle, staring down her target. Wiping her mind of her father's pleas, her mother's busy fussing over packing, the funeral... A lump threatened to lodge in her throat. It had been months since the funeral, but she couldn't seem to complete the grieving process.

Tossing aside the empty bottle, she loaded the rifle, took aim, and blasted holes in the letter. Approaching the target, she saw the neat holes all in the relative center of the paper. Smiling with satisfaction, Nikki traced the bullet holes. _I'm not the prettiest around here. Or the smartest, or the most athletic... But man alive, I'm a good shot._ She stood to turn, keeping the gun barrel aimed at the ground.

"So why're you down here when you should be with your family?" A familiar voice called. Nikki whipped around in surprise, involuntarily giving an annoyed groan. Several yards behind stood Carl. A young man not much older than Nikki, with chocolate hair and a well muscled build disguised under a flannel shirt. Carl was a handsome man, a neighbor, and a helper around the ranch... And an ex-boyfriend. The young man strode over in front of the old dog and gave him a gentle pat; Amos returned the favor with a wagging tail and a few licks to his hand. "So why're you here instead of shoveling manure?" she spat, crossing back to the ATV.  
"That would be your job, right Niks?" he cooed jeeringly.

"Well, I'm leaving and somebody has to do it. And I really wouldn't tick off a girl with a gun if I were you." Nikki avoided eye contact as she reloaded the rifle. "And I told you not to call me that." She hoisted the rifle to her shoulder, taking careful aim and firing at the letter once again. She turned to see Carl lower his hands from his ears. "Thanks for the warning," he quipped. "So why're you leaving? Is it because of college?" Nikki shuddered. _I hate it. I hate it so, so much when he reads me like this._ "I-It's not that. Th-th-the time c-came for me to m-m-m-move on." Carl crossed his arms and snickered.

"See? You're doing it again." He strode up to Nikki. "When you get nervous, you stutter." _I could just smack that smug grin off your face…_ "Listen, Niks. You're running away from your problems." _Keep pushing, Carl. I would love an excuse to lash out._ "First the university, now your b-" Nikki whipped around, her open palm making contact with his cheek. The blow wasn't hard, but Carl stumbled back out of shock, Nikki turned and shook her open, stinging palm. Nikki hefted Amos onto the ATV and turned to Carl, her index finger pointed to his face. "Don't you DARE talk about that. N-never talk a-about that." She took the rifle and secured it to the ATV hood. "THIS, Carl. This is why we never worked out. You're inconsiderate, r-rude and you CRUSH my self-esteem." Not turning back to him, she fired up the ATV and started to rumble back to the house, desperate to leave and hide her tears.

"How much longer, Hudson?" Brooklyn strained against the weight of the metal bars. The two gargoyles were struggling to realign the fire escape that had just been desecrated. As the vermilion gargoyle held up the frame of the structure, Hudson slipped the metal bars back into their slots. After a moment of struggle, Hudson relinquished his efforts. "Eh hang it all! These blasted rods refuse to fit. Would be best that we leave it be, let the repairmen fix it. We may be making it worse." Brooklyn loosened his grip, allowing the stairs to dangle. "Yeah, they're pretty good at fixing these types of things anyway." Brooklyn lifted his head to gaze at the sky, the inky gap in between buildings. Allowing the wind to catch in his wings, the young gargoyle was lifted to the rooftops, Hudson gliding alongside him.

The gargoyles continued over the illuminated city, scouring the streets for signs of trouble. Brooklyn found himself looking to his patrol companion, peering at the scar over Hudson's eye.  
"You know Hudson, I remember when you got that scar." He mentioned nonchalantly. "I was 26 when that happened."  
"Aye, right you are. That was around the age that you, Broadway and Lexington starting getting into real mischief. Sneaking into the castle, taking the guards' horses for a night ride."  
"Heh, hate to break it to you," Brooklyn chuckled. "But that was only me. I was just showing off." He was silent for a moment. "Hudson, is it weird, not being able to see out of that eye?"  
"Eh, ye get used to it, lad. A dog doesn't mourn a lost leg, but learns to work with the remaining three."  
"Yeah. I'm not sure I could do that." Hudson took a moment to ponder and spoke quietly, just above the sound of the wind.  
"Lad, do ye feel a change?"  
"A change?" Brooklyn inquired, bewildered.  
"It might be just me. But I think that I feel a change- in these old bones, in the wind maybe." Brooklyn absorbed the words, shrugged and continued to scan the alleys for crime.

She let her fingers slide along the smooth, frigid surface. Kneeling in the grass, her bulky cell phone in hand and Monique sitting next to her. Nikki felt her best friend's hand on her shoulder; Monique had always been a motherly friend. She involuntarily stroked the phone with her thumb; her worried mother had just given it to her earlier that morning. "Nikki, are you ready? The plane leaves in-" Monique's green eyes flicked to her wristwatch. "In less than four hours. You still have a three hour drive." Nikki turned to Monique, her best friend's black hair pulled into a French braid, her porcelain skin blurred slightly by the exhaust coming from the running truck. Nikki's father sat in the pickup, luggage in tow, waiting to leave.

"You can get back in the truck. I just need one more minute." Monique nodded and proceeded to the pickup. Nikki looked over every detail of the tombstone, carving a mental image into her memory. She spoke softly to the tombstone. "I'm going now. I'm going to miss- well. Actually I _still_ miss you, even though the funeral was months ago. I guess I'll be back, but not for a while. I love you, Brian. Take care." She stood up, curly blonde hair whipping in the sudden breeze. She stepped over to the left a few feet, set her sights on one particular grave, and sneered at it. _I won't miss you, Grandpop._ She then turned away and jogged over to the truck, ready to go to the airport in Bozeman.


	2. Chapter 1A

**Long-term Influences Chapter 1 Part 1 **

**By MissUnashamed**

Nikki, her family and sub-plot belong to me (MissUnashamed).

Hudson, Elisa, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington and Gargoyles Universe and canon plot belong to Disney/Greg Weisman.

_Windy night in New York._ The young lady thought, pulling her coat tight around her. She took a shortcut through the sketchy part of town. She had decided it was a risk worth taking, it was already eleven at night and she was relatively sleep deprived. Loneliness also haunted her as she walked alone. 'Nobody cares about you, only what you possess in either talent or wealth' an old man had once told her. Even though she was carrying scarcely any money in her duffel bag, the man tailing her thought it was worth a check. Trudging through the snow, she allowed herself to drop her guard. She didn't notice anyone behind her, but someone else did. From the sky, the old warrior saw a nasty situation about to occur. A typical mugging, something he could handle easily if he kept the element of surprise. _Tessa is going to have a cow. Look at how late I am! Not my fault that these city slickers can't cut their own meat. Then I have to close up shop and-_ her thoughts were cut short by the growl and alarmed yelp that she heard from behind her. Her instincts kicked in and she quickly drew her 8 mm on the assailant. She realized that it was unnecessary, seemed as though it had been taken care of.

A mangy-looking man had been pinned to the ground and knocked unconscious, apparently by the massive creature that stood above him. The young lady's eyes widened at the sight of the monster but she held her firearm steady. She immediately recalled the skills that she had learned hunting in the mountains, estimating the creature to be around 600 pounds. _Well darn it, an 8 mm isn't going to take him out. _  
The old warrior looked at the small human, weapon fixed in his direction. She was confused, fixated and she was armed. Possibly a dangerous situation for both parties. It took a step back into the darkness as snow began to flutter down again, and the wind picked up. The young woman took a step closer, her fear fading and fast being replaced with curiosity. "Hold on," she whispered. Before she could speak again, the wind picked up and tore stray hair from her messy up do. _Ugh. Stinkin' hair…_ She shifted her stance to keep the hair from blowing into her eyes.

The creature appeared to be worried about something else. "Lass…" She stepped closer to the unconscious body and the monster; gun still fixed in her iron grasp. Her adrenaline spiked even more at hearing it speak. "Lass I don't want to hurt ye, just let me help ye to the hospital." Confusion washed across her face. She wasn't hurt. "I- I'm n-not hurt." She took a step closer._Nikki, you're an idiot. You should just turn and run while you can. _  
Ignoring the urge to flee, she stepped closer and lowered her weapon, pointing it at the snowy ground. "You don't need to pretend, the scum obviously hurt ye. Ye must be bleeding something awful." She holstered her weapon, but kept her hand ready to grab the switchblade in her pocket if need be. It would probably inflict more damage into the creature as well. "I c-can assure y-you, I'm fine." She removed her coat, revealing a turtleneck shirt, jeans and hiking boots. And no blood stains. "S-see? All in one piece." The creature stepped forward. He was now in the dim light, revealing the details of his appearance. A winged humanoid, greenish grey skin, a full white beard, a damaged left eye, strange spike features and pointed ears. He carried a sword, was wearing some kind of primal armor and a loincloth, he had a tail and peculiar long feet without shoes. The young woman stepped back and took in the sight of this- thing- that had saved her. "S-so… um m-mugging, right? Why'd you help me?" she inquired, pointing to the unconscious man. "Yer not hurt?" it responded. _Is that a Scottish accent?_"Y-yes, I'm fine. Fit as a-"

She couldn't finish her sentence; the creature had leapt to the nearest building and began to scale the concrete wall._Oh no. No I am NOT letting you go without answers._She quickly took off in the direction of her rescuer, observing from the ground. She waited as the creature reached the top of the building. Not a moment later, it took off flying. The young woman stuffed her coat into her duffel bag and ran after the flying beast._High school track team was a while ago, but I've still got it!_She thought smugly, as she dashed down the sidewalk.  
After following for a few blocks, she started to get a little flushed. But keeping her pace and managing to avoid cars and other pedestrians, she followed to the police building. _Darn, I'm not sure I've been around here before. Backtracking later is going to suck._She stopped and panted for a moment as she watched the figure fly to the clock tower above the police building. She paused to contemplate the situation. _Well, Dad always says that a good hunter never gives up the chase. Well hey, its Friday night, I don't work tomorrow, I'm free of commitment tomorrow._

She proceeded to the doors of the police station where an officer was just entering. "Excuse me!" she called after the cop. The officer turned around and saw a young lady with a duffel bag walk up to her.  
"Can I help you?"  
"Yeah, I- I know that this is going to sound crazy but is there anyway that I can get up to the clock tower?" She asked, pointing skyward.  
The female officer seemed taken aback.  
"I'm sorry miss-"  
"Harrison. My name is Nikki Harrison."  
"I see. Miss Harrison, I'm really sorry, but we can't allow citizens into the clock tower. Not safe. Heck, I'm not even sure how to get up there!" She grinned, trying to convince the curious woman.  
Nikki was only somewhat convinced. She studied the officer for a moment and asked,  
"Could I see your badge? Sheer curiosity."  
The officer hesitated but decided that it was for the best; if it would keep Miss Harrison from inquiring further. She took her badge from insider her jacket and showed it to Miss Harrison._Detective Elisa Maza, New York Police Derpartment._  
Nikki looked up and smiled.  
"Sorry to disturb you, Detective." She turned and walked back down the sidewalk. Elisa quickly put her badge away and hurried inside, worried about having to tell Goliath about the curious citizen.

A Harrison never quit; she was from a hunting family. Nikki surveyed the buildings surrounding the clock tower and selected what appeared to be an office building. She stalked into the alley and jumped to grab the ladder of the fire escape. Her hand connected with the cold metal and she pulled the ladder to her level, bracing the ladder preventing it from making a racket. Careful to keep quiet, she climbed all the way to the roof and dropped her bag a few feet from the ledge. She pulled her coat back out, put it on and sat on her bag. She would wait. He had to come out at some point. Nikki had gone hunting with her father and brothers plenty of times before. She had learned patience in seeking prey. This would be no problem. In the meantime, she pulled out a stray receipt and pen and quickly doodled what she had seen. Sure, it was nothing close to realistic but it captured the image decently. She smiled; her sister had always mocked Nikki's inferior art. Tessa was the family artist ever since-

_TESSA! Aw no! She is going to go crazy!_She whipped out the bulky cell phone that her mother had given her before going to New York. She had always been a worrywart. Even when she was out checking the cattle with her brothers, her mother was terrified that little Nikki would get caught in a forest fire or be mauled by a mountain lion or meet some other horrific end. _Snap out of it! Mom isn't here and she isn't going to hear about it. I will just let Tessa know that- well… I'm out for a drink?_She dialed her sister's number and waited. The phone rung once before her anxious sister answered.  
"Nikki where ARE you? You're never home this late!"  
"Tess, I'm sorry. Boss wanted me to close up and well it IS Friday night. Folks need some meat to warm their stomachs. They can't just walk to the freezer and grab tenderloin like we can." Dad had sent Tessa off to New York with a hefty supply of beef and elk. "Anyway, I locked up and decided to head out to… a bar."  
"Nikki, we both know that you wouldn't touch alcohol if it meant winning a million dollars."  
She winced; apparently her tale wouldn't work. Tessa knew all too well that Nikki hated alcohol and what it did to people. People in her family got angry when drunk, especially Grandpop. After hearing her father and grandfather get into heated arguments and occasional fistfights while under the influence, Nikki swore as a teenager that she would never drink.

"Well, maybe I'm not drinking, but I- I'm checking out the social scene."  
"…Really? Well, I'm glad you're finally branching out. You've been living with Scott and I for three months now and still haven't left the apartment except to work."  
"Yeah. Well, I didn't really have anywhere else to go after what happened to Brian. I just needed to get out of town."  
Silence hung on the line. Nikki had decided to take a "break year" after graduating high school and then found herself unable to get into her choice university. She spent the next four years working as a waitress and for her dad when he needed help on the ranch. Brian, her older brother, was killed in August of 1994 when he and his friends were out mudding in his Jeep. Now Jackson, Montana was too full of sad memories and pitiful looks from old friends. So she bought a plane ticket to Manhattan, and left to live with her older sister Tessa and brother-in-law Scott for a while. Her hunting and ranching experience secured her a job as a butcher, and she spent her spare time watching soap operas and pondering her future.  
"So Dad called me a couple hours ago." Tessa broke the silence.  
"Oh. Cool. How are things back on the property?" Nikki got up and began to pace. She was getting cold, but she was determined to keep watching the clock tower until the creature emerged.  
"So-so. Mountain lion problems again, he has decided to start investing in extra measures. Says he is gonna get either a guard-donkey or a guard-llama for the cattle."  
Nikki smiled. "Tell him I said llama, donkeys are puny and male llamas have tusks and they spit. And llamas are way cool, I always wanted a pet lla-"  
Nikki saw movement over the rooftops; two shadowy figures were flying in the direction of the clock tower.  
"Ah! Ah, um, Tessa. Hot guy at twelve o'clock. Gotta run! See you in the morning!"  
"Whoo hoo! Go girl! See you tomorrow, stay safe!"  
Nikki quickly hung up her cell phone and ran to the center of the roof. She looked again and saw that there were three shadows soaring, two larger ones and a smaller one. Not bothering to think she jumped up and down, waving her arms.

"Hey! HEY!" She shouted. They didn't notice, and they were only a hundred yards from the clock tower. She thought quickly, the other creature had stopped to help her when she was about to be attacked. _Hopefully, these guys like defending as well._"HELP! FLYING THINGS, HELP!" She hollered. No doubt police would hear, but they wouldn't find her on the roof if she didn't keep yelling. _Crud, no avail. I can't yell again. The poli- wait! Here they come!_ Sure enough the shadows turned and descended towards the roof. _Okay, whew! They heard me. Now I just wait for them to come and- CRUD! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?_ A small panic attack took over. _NIKKI! Why didn't you think this through?_ Without anymore thought, she dove behind her duffel bag. _Brilliant thinking, girl. Now what?_ She thought to herself, sarcastically.


End file.
